Electronic musical keyboard instruments are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Design Pat. No. D312,091, issued to Amiya on Nov. 13, 1990 discloses a portable electronic musical keyboard instrument in which a housing having an electronic musical keyboard disposed thereon has a strap connected thereto. The housing may be carried by the strap upon the shoulders and neck of a user by suspending the housing with the strap extending around the shoulders and neck of the person. Accordingly, the instrument may be used, notably by playing music on the keyboard, by a person while carrying the device on the shoulders and neck with the strap, thus allowing the person to geographically displace herself or himself while using the instrument. Unfortunately, the entire mass of the housing is supported by the shoulders and neck when the device is so carried with strap, which may result in strain and discomfort. This strain and discomfort may be aggravated by a downwardly directed force that the person exerts on the keys of keyboard while using the instrument. Further, the generally planarly flat configuration of the keyboard on housing may cause strain on the elbows and shoulders of a person while playing the keyboard as the user must constantly maintain the elbows raised and bent. In addition, as movement of the housing when carried on shoulders and neck will often require displacement of at least a portion of the strap along the shoulders and neck, there is a risk that such movement of the housing will cause friction and discomfort thereto.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D460,101, issued to Juhé on Jul. 9, 2002, discloses an electronic musical keyboard instrument having a keyboard, the ends of which are curved slightly towards one another to facilitate playing of keys in proximity to the ends. However, the instrument, as disclosed, does not appear to provide any means for rendering the instrument easily portable. Further, the keyboard is disposed in an essentially planarly flat configuration, and thus may also cause strain on the elbows and shoulders of a person while playing the keyboard, as the user must constantly maintain the elbows raised and bent.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved electronic musical keyboard instrument that obviates the aforementioned difficulties.